Bay Garnett is frequently asked about the $5 banana-print top she found in a New York thrift store, which ended up on Kate Moss in a 2003 British Vogue editorial shot by Juergen Teller, and went on to inspire Phoebe Philo’s famous print for Chloé. “It was a beautiful morning, New York at its finest. And I walked in and there it was,” Garnett recalls on The Closet Digest, Vogue’s podcast sponsored by Vinted that delves into the stories behind our clothes.
What’s the secret to finding an incredible vintage gem? “This sounds very woo woo, but I do think that there is a kind of thrifting magic that happens,” the stylist says. “I think if you go in with energy and optimism and up-for-it-ness you will find something.”
Her top tip? Go in with ideas of what you’re looking for, but don’t be too specific. “It’s really good to think about what you’re into. What have you seen that you like? Have you seen a movie with a dress that you thought someone looked great in?” she says. “I think going in and thinking that you’re going to find a 1920s Balenciaga, [or] you’re going to find your dream piece… it doesn’t necessarily work well.”
Sometimes, though, you do happen across a true piece of fashion history – as Garnett, dubbed the Queen of Thrift, knows only too well. “I went to the British Red Cross on Church Street in Chelsea, and I looked over and it was an absolutely perfect Yves Saint Laurent 1969 safari suit that Veruschka wore,” she remembers. “I got it for £400; it’s worth a lot [more] now.”
Listen to The Closet Digest on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
